Sew For Victory Dress-Complete!

I finally finished my dress for Sew for Victory! It took me a little longer than I'd anticipated. I know that one should make a muslin before using an untried pattern, but I didn't, and as a result, I ended up with a dress that was too large in the waist for a comfortable fit. After some quality time with my friend Jack (the ripper) and a little cutting  down to size, I re-seamed everything and am reasonably happy with the results. I do need to purchase or make a different belt, since the one in the photo is too small for me and so shows up all those lumps and bumps I'd rather have remain hidden. All in all, I think this will be a very serviceable dress for "Olga" to wear on the train.

 

                            Olga's Dress                                                                                    The reason it took me a little longer than anticipated:

 

                                                      

Sew for Victory-Pattern and Fabric

So her is my first post on my Sew for Victory project! I love vintage/retro clothing and have more of it my closet than I will tell, so although I really wanted to make something for this sew-along, I had decided to do it without spending any extra money. And I had wondered just where a woman my age could wear a 1940s dress. If I were 20 years younger, I would probably dress retro every day, but since I haven't discovered the fountain of youth, or an abundant supply of bravery, I don't.....most of the time.  One of my real jobs is doing historical narration on the train. Part of this job is to dress the part of my character, so on train days, I have been seen in reproduction 19th  century attire. This year I have decided to add Olga Little, a character from the 1930s-40s, to the list of people I "am" on the train. Yay! Now my 1940s dress will be something Olga might have worn. I'd need an historically accurate fabric and pattern. Fortunately, I have a tub of old patterns from the '30s through the '50s which I acquired years ago. I found a Simplicity pattern for a nice little wrap dress from 1945 in my size, (or close enough,) and my fabric stash yielded a lovely rayon check with an interesting textural weave, which will be comfortable this summer, as well as accurate. I can't wit to cut it out!